Heel-support.



E, MUELLER 0. FISCHL.

HEEL SUPPORT.

APPLICAHN min APRA. 19in.

1,242,363 Patented Oct. i), 1917. LTI-gr? Jzj'f (vaag 6%@ HL/ .A5 figa/ff@ @wiz ERNST MUELLER AND GTT() FICHL, OEST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Weinmann of Letters raient.

Patented Oct. 9, 191 7.

Application una prix a, 1151s. serial no. 88,430.

Z 1o all 'whom may Concern.'

Be it known that we, ERNST MUELLER and (l'r'ro Fistful., citizens of the United Stews, residing nt the city of St. Louis and State of M issouri, have invented a new and useful 'liee'lHuppor-t, of which the oilowing 1s a specification.

Thif1A invention relates to heel supports and consists in the novel construction ereina'lter more fully disclosed.

Au object. ol' the invention is to provide an insole adapted to be placed in tie rear portion oil a shoe, the sole being'so formed "its to support the heel in a position so that the weight of the body will be thrown upon the hall of the foot to relieve the leg and foot muscles from. strain.

Another object of the invention is to pre vide an insole that will be durable and ellicient for the purpose mentioned and which may be worn in a shoe without discomfort to the wearer.

With the above `and additional advantages 'in view which will be readilyapparent from the following,r description, a heel support as hereinafter described and shown in t edrawing has been produced.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a top view of a heel support embodying the invention.

F ig. 2 1s a bottom View of the heel sup-l iort.

I 3 is.` an edge view of the heel support.

Fig. 4 is an edge vie-w of the support viewed from the oppositev side from the" illustration in Fig. 3. y

Fig. 5 is a rear edge view ofthe heel Support.

As illustrated inthe drawing the device of the present invention includes an upper loyer l of leather out to conform to the heel and arch section of a shoe. The forward end of the loyer l is rounded as indicated :it 2, said rounded portion being cut away or beveled as indicated at 3 so that the rounded outer end S5 has a very slight thickness, so that when the support is placed in the shoe the outer edge thereof will extend to a point hack o'l lthe ball of the foot at the forward buse of the arch. To the layer l is attached Aa retaining strip or layer 4, which is of shorter length and narrower width than the layer l. The forward edge of the layer 4 is curved inwardly from the enter sideedge of the layer 1, as indicated at 5 and curved toward the inner edge of the layer 1 at the rear end asindicated at 6, the ntermediateinner edge 7 of thelayer 4 lfying substantially rom the inner si e edge of the la er l. The layer 4 is beveled inwardly so t at at the line of union of the layers 1 and 4 the edge of the layer 4 is raised only slightly from the bottom of the layer 1. Adjacent to the line of union between the layers 1 and 4 is a` row of stitching 8 which passes through both the layers 1 and 4, thereby securing said .layers together.

An intermediate layer or insert 9 is placed between the inner surfacesV of the layers 1 and .f 4. The intermediate insert inclines from the outer edge inwardly as will appear by reference to Fig. 5, and is also beveled at its forward end as shown in Fig. 3. The intermediate portion 9 terminates rearward of the forward extremity of the layer l, so that when the support is laced within a shoe the Bottom thereof will) lie in e horizontal plane, and# the uiper surface will incline gradually forwar ly and inwardly.

The several layers of which the support is composed are adhesively attached by cement. By constructing the support of the several layers formed asdescribed and cementing said layers together a unitary body is produced which has suilicient solidity to support the foot in proper position and yet has suilicient elasticity to conform to the movement of the foot when worn in the shoe. This results from the fact that the sevell layers of leather secured together 'are o y slightly compressible in a vertical direction, yet as each la er has iiexibility and elasticity on horizonte lines, which lateral elastig y is not in the least destroyedby the centA t there is a. suiiicie'nt lateral yielding and flexingr on the horizontal lineto conform to the foot movement.

The support, therefore, of the present invention may he worn in the shoe without discomfort to the wearer. Moreover, as the support is formed from united thin layers .it is very durable, as there is not sufficient bodyv to Aany one of the layers to crack when it is fiexed by use in the shoe.

As the upper and lower layers are bound together by the row of stitching 8 at the inner ed re of the lower layer, there is no danger o lateral deplacement of the Several layers should the. cement become soft when heated by the foot. The row of stitching arallel with andspacedA also prevents the thin edge of the lower t yer from curling `baekwurdly or buckling, so that the surface of the support is kept free from irregularities, and is properly fitted to the foot of the' wearer. It will be noted also that the widening of the lower layer at the rearward end' provides a full support for the heel, raising the heel sufficiently to incline the foot forwardly thereby 10. throwing the weight from the rearward outer edge of the support for- .dly. As the inner forward point of the support terminates just rearward of the ball of the foot, the weight of the body is thrownl where 16 it naturally should he` so that all undue strain on the foot and leg muscles is re- `lieved. By thus properly distributing the weight of the body to the forward part of the foot, the comfort of walking is pro. 20 moted. The support also relieves the exterior surface of the heel of the shoe from undue wear so that by promoting the proper manner of wallrinf the eommon fault of running over of t 1e heels is obviated.

The invention may be slightly modified within equivalent limits. lt is not desired, therefore, that the invention he limited to the exact construction shown and described, but what is claimed and desired to be seeured by Letters Patent, is

1. A heel -support comprising an upper layer adapted to be placed within the slw and having a rounded and attenuated forward end, a. lower layer of less width than the upper layer'having ite outer edge matehing the outer edge of the upper layer and haring an attenuated inner edge parallel with and at a relatively considerable distuuee from vthe inne-r edge of the upper layer, a row ot' stitching parallel with the inner edge of the lower layer binding the inner edge ot' the lower layer to the upper layer, an inwardly and forwardly taperlng liller piece between the upper and lowerI layers having its outer edge in alinement with the outer edges of the upper and lower layers and bonding niaterial uniting said layers and filler pieee together.;

2. A Vheel support comprising a smooth llat upper layer ot' leather conforming iu shape to the heel and arch section of a shoe and being adapted to fit within the rearward portion ot wshoe, a lower layer having its outer edge formed to match the outer ed e of the upper layer and extending inward y approximately half the width of the upper layer and ternlmlting in an attenuated edge Ipared from and approximately parallel with the inner edge of the upper layer, a filler piece interposed between the upper and lower layers having ithl outer ed e oon- Jforming substantially to the outer e ges of said layerl and having its forward end tapering and terminating rearwardly from the forward edge of the lower layer, and having an inward and forward surface slope, and a quantity of bonding material for retaining saidlayera in bonded union.

3. A heel support comprising a smooth flat upper layer of leather conforming in shape to the heel and arch section of a Shoe and being adapted to lit within the rear ward portion of a shoe, a lower layer hav rug its outer edge formed to match the outer edge of the upper la ver and extending inwardly approximately half the width of the upper layer and terminating in an attenuated edge inwardli from the inner edge of thel upper layer. a tiller piece interposed between the upper and lower layers and lening its outer edge Mntorming to the of the outer edges of said layers and heviog its forward end tapering and terminating rearwardly from the forward edge of the lnrer layer and also tapering inwardly and having its inner edge spared from the inner edge of the. lower layer, u

quantity of bonding material retaining said layers in bonded union` and a row of stitch ing passing through said upper and lower layers and extending parallel to the inner edge of the lower layer.

In witness whereof, we have signed this; specification in the present-e of two .euliseribing witnesses.

` ERNST MUlILLER.

OTT() l-"SCHla W'itnesaaes i L. C. Kmosmuu, N. (l. Burma. 

